Driving along the northern Chilean coast passed quickly. The beaches lie below many steep cliffs. The business model is clearly fishing and more fishing.
Finally we arrived at our place. We were committed to a few weeks of housesitting. This seaside cabin is located in. Truly beautiful place. The sea is a pounding pattern below and the sky opens up forever. Just steps away are tall eucalyptus forests and a small village.
This felt like exactly what the three of us needed. An opportunity to relax, close out the journey and prepare for our return to the USA.
But the cabin came with some hidden tasks. The upper floor is a rental property. So we had occasional weekenders to manage, while we lived in the lower flor apartment. And the house needed some love. The owner (a traveler and global citizen) had not visited in a long time. So issues had been shabbily addressed. We had work ahead of us.
Projects included roof patches, selecting improvements, rebuilding water lines and seriously deep cleaning. An old wooden cabin by the sea suffers the ravages of salt, humidity and wind.
We also had time to enjoy the strolls along the ocean, the beautiful sunsets and a Christmas visit from our friend. Meals outdoors on one of the many decks were always pleasant. And even in our small apartment, we were able to enjoy a few royal feasts.
All our work and cleaning produced a lot of trash. In a Chilean community with no trash service, we were fortunate to time it to align with an area clean up day. So we loaded up the only vehicle we had available and made two trips to the giant dumpster. After our drop off, we stopped off to buy cold drinks for all the volunteers.
Pacha really enjoyed her time there. She spent hours chasing lizards in the massive network of ice plant. This kept her busy. she also enjoyed many walks down the cliff and along the tide pools and surf spots. Here she is modeling seashells.
During this stop we were in constant communication with the buyers. They were organizing their final tasks at home in France and preparing to fly to Chile. We were excited to meet them, and introduce them to Beauty and the Beast.
But we had a lot of our own tasks to do! The biggest one was the purchase and practice with a dog crate for Pacha to fly back in. We set it up in the corner of the apartment, and being the awesome dog she is, she quickly became comfortable with it.
Our time in South America was coming to a close.
I loved that place.